Idaho was one of 13 states nationally that participated in a more-detailed version of the testing. The state's results were slightly better than the nation as a whole, and math skills showed an improvement.

But that's not good enough, says Lauren Necochea, director of the education advocacy group Idaho Kids Count.

"We need to better prepare our students for the rigor of college and the workforce," she says.

Idaho was right in line with the national average in another area: There's a significant lag among test results for students of ethnic minority groups.

Oregon and Washington did not participate in the more detailed version of the testing.